The new iPad Pro and the new MacBook, MacBook Pro and MacBook Air come standard with USB-C connections that can be transformed a bit thanks to various adapters available on the market.
USB-C connections are fast and have the advantage of being reversible: the connectors of accessories and devices of this type can be inserted in any direction as there are specific symmetrical pins.
Like it or not, the traditional old-fashioned USB connections are still needed and users are forced to buy various adapters to connect external drives, printers, USB sticks, memory card readers and so on. You buy a very light computer (or tablet) and then risk walking around with a lot of adapters to be recovered on various occasions. One solution to using multiple adapters is to use an accessory like the one in this review. The Satechi USB Type-C Multi-Port Adapter is small (approx.10 × 1.6x5cm), sleek, lightweight (72 grams) and can be safely stored in a purse pocket.
The USB-C connector is compatible with the Thunderbolt 3 port, and the adapter can also be used on MacBook Pros with the latter port. The Satechi adapter boasts an aluminum frame design, perfect for pairing with MacBook, MacBook Air and MacBook Pro with USB-C or Thunderbolt. It is compatible not only with Macs but also with iPad Pro with this port and of course also with any PC with a USB-C port.
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The V2 model of the adapter integrates Micro SD or SD Card slots, very convenient for downloading photos from cameras. An HDMI port allows you to connect a laptop to external monitors (just use an HDMI-to-HDMI cable) offering support for resolutions up to 4K at 30-30Hz. Do not miss the Gigabit Ethernet connection (10/100 / 1000Mbps) and three traditional USB 3.0 Type-A ports. A pass-through USB-C port allows you to replicate the USB-C port on your computer, useful – for example – for charging computers with the USB-C power adapter.
Operation
Operation is simple and trivial: no software or driver is needed. You plug the adapter into the USB-C port and it's ready to use. A small blue LED on the front indicates that the power is on. You can connect HDMI monitors, ethernet cables, USB devices of any type (the only accessory that does not work is the Apple SuperDruve due to intrinsic limitations of the Apple unit, other burners work perfectly), various cards to the Micro SD / SD slots Card, recharge your computer using the USB-C pass-through port.
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Conclusions
We compared the data transfer speed of this USB-C hub with Apple's USB-C to USB adapter, noting any differences. It is true that the Apple adapter costs less (25.00 euros) but this provides only one standard USB port and not the three USB 3 ports and others that the Satechi adapter makes available.
Pro
Versus
Configurations and prices to the public The product is available both in space gray color (code ST-TCMA2M), in silver color (ST-TCMA2S) and also in gold color (code ST-TCMA2G). The list price is 77.86 euros + VAT (94.98 euros including VAT) but on Amazon it is already at 89.00 euros. The warranty is one year. In Italy the Satechi 4K Ethernet V2 multi-port USB-C adapter is distributed by Attiva .